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Canowindra
| pop_footnotes = | elevation= 300 | latd =33 |latm =34 |lats =0 | longd =148 |longm =40 |longs =0 | maxtemp = 24.7 | mintemp = 8.1 | rainfall = 602 | stategov = Dubbo | fedgov = Calare | dist1 = 317 | dir1 = W | location1= Sydney | dist2 = 59 | dir2 = SW | location2= Orange | dist3 = 32 | dir3 = N | location3= Cowra }} Canowindra ( )Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3 is an historic township located near Cowra in the central west of New South Wales, Australia in Cabonne Shire. Canowindra is on the Belubula River. The curving main street, Gaskill Street, is partly an urban conservation area. At the 2006 census, Canowindra had a population of 1,499. The name of the town is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning 'a home'. History A post office opened at Canowindra in 1847 with mail coming from Carcoar, but the village was handicapped as part of a main route to the lower Lachlan, first by the lack of a bridge and later by the construction of the railway to Orange. The first bridge across the Belubula River at Canowindra was opened on 28 July 1875. It was replaced by the Waddell Bridge in May 1901, and by the current John Grant Bridge in 1997. In October 1863, Ben Hall's gang took over the village for three days and entertained the whole population, as well as some stray travellers, all herded into the inn. An account of the incident was reported in the Bathurst Times, also quoted in the Maitland Mercury. A monument to Ben Hall, on the site of Robinson's inn, the Travellers' Rest, was erected in 1951, but evidently further research has indicated that the events recorded here happened at the inn on the other side of the river. Today the main street has an old-world air, with its kerbside verandah posts lining the dog-leg course of what was once a bullock team track. Modern Canowindra The Royal Hotel is on the site of another inn owned by Robinson and the plaque on the wall indicates present day understanding that this was the inn where Ben Hall's gang had their spree. Other notable buildings include the nursing home, the Junction Hotel, Finn's Building, the Victoria Hotel, the former Bank of NSW and the former CBC Bank. The Trading Post, a homewares shop, won the inland tourism award for 2006. Ballooning Canowindra is also popularly known as the Balloon Capital of AustraliaABC Radio National website, Program aired on ABC Radio National in which Canowindra is described as the "ballooning capital of Australia".Canowindra visitor information website, Brief description of the town at Canowindra.Org, also showing the "Balloon Capital of Australia" sign at the edge of the town.Canowindra visitor information website, the "Balloon Capital of Australia" page on GJKerr.com website - a local tourism based enterprise. Canowindra International Balloon Challenge is the largest ballooning event in Australia and takes place in the picturesque historic NSW village of Canowindra every April. In 2010, the Canowindra Challenge created a local balloon event that has since grown to where the event now attacts pilots & balloons from around the globe to build upon the principles of Marti's Fiesta, bringing businesses together to support a week long event of ballooning competitions and skill based activities. The use of location enabled (GPS), point-of-view camera technologies was combined with live-to-web broadcasts via an online streaming platform for viewers to share in the spectacle and to join in the event virtually and for free. Canowindra also hosted the Australian National Balloon Championships in 2011,2013 and 2014 creating a larger more competative event. in 2014 the event went fully International with pilots from Japan, USA, Russia, Brazil & the UK competing. A balloon Glow is held as part of the event along with a Local food & wine market based on the 100 mile principle where the products must be made or produced within 100 mile of Canowindra. This results in an interesting mix of quality food and wine to compliment the Balloon Spectacular. the last Sunday of the event also features a key grab where pilots test their skill in an attempt to grab a large key from the top of a 10m pole For many years an event known as Marti's Fiesta was held in Canowindra, this was primarily a fun event designed to bring together balloonists and spectators from local, national and international locations in a celebration of Central West hospitality and goodwill. This event coincides with food and wine events which bring in the greater Cabonne and surrounding districts during the April period each year. Fossils Canowindra is the site of one of the world's great fossil discoveries from the late Devonian period. A chance discovery by a road worker in 1956 uncovered a rich find of 360 million year old fish fossils, dating from the Devonian period in the Paleozoic era. The "Canowindra slab" was removed to the Australian Museum, Sydney. The fish had been buried when trapped in a pool of water that dried up, stranding two armoured antiarch placoderms, Remigolepis walkeri and Bothriolepis yeungae,''Other ''Remigolepis species have been discovered in Devonian rocks in China, Greenland and Russia. and ''Canowindra grossi'', a lobe-finned crossopterygian fish, with two rare juvenile arthrodire placoderms, Groenlandaspis species. No further fossils had been recovered until January 1993, when a trial dig on the site using an excavator rediscovered the fossil stratum, where the mass mortality of fishes was preserved in detail (see Lagerstätte). Specimens can be viewed in the specially established The Age of Fishes Museum, with scientific support and funding from the Australian Museum. The Canowindra site has now been listed as part of Australia's National Heritage because of its international scientific importance. Notable Canowindrans * Rhyan Grant - Footballer currently playing for Sydney FC in the A-League * Mitchell Sargent - Rugby League currently playing for Castleford Tigers in the Super League External links * Age of Fishes Museum * Country Women's Association of NSW Canowindra Branch * Canowindra Business Chamber * More pictures of the Canowindra Balloon Challenge and for Canowindra References Category:Towns in New South Wales Category:Towns in the Central West (New South Wales) Category:Devonian paleontological sites of Australia Category:Lagerstätten